viii
By the time Tadase, Amu, and Rima had made it to the front gates, Ikuto was already long gone. He had already left before the meeting ended. Tadase instead managed to convince his father to take them instead. Amu, who could only hear half of the conversation, was surprised at how quickly Tadase seemed to get an agreement from his father, but soon, Tsukasa was pulling his car up in front of the three teenagers.
Amu's old hometown was 100 miles from Koken High, where she had gone to a larger school. It went from Kindergarten to grade 12. Each grade group was separated on a different part of the campus buildings. The drive was quiet for a long time; perhaps no one knew what to say, or perhaps they just enjoyed the peacefulness of passing by the countryside.
Almost immediately, Amu was in deep sleep; her head was bouncing back and forth between the window and Rima's shoulder. Rima had tried to avoid Amu's head four or five times, but she eventually relented and left Amu to sleep soundly on her shoulder. Tadase could have sworn he saw Rima blushing slightly as she watched Amu sleep. Her expression was one that Tadase himself had never seen on Rima before. Was Tadase seeing things or had he just never seen this side of Rima before? It didn't really matter that much, though, because Tadase was more concerned about Amu, anyway. Especially because she was sleeping; he didn't want Rima to witness Amu's nightmares and her response to them.
"Alright, kiddos," Tsukasa said as they were halfway to their destination. "We're going to make a pit-stop at the convenience store. If you need a bathroom break or a snack, get out now or forever hold your peace."
Tsukasa had located a convenience store using his Garmin GPS and parked in front of the store before getting out. Tadase also got out, but Rima remained inside the car, not wanting to wake up the sleeping teenager on her shoulder. Tadase came around to Amu's side of the car, chuckling.
"Amu-chan, wake up," he said softly, nudging her. Luckily, her injured arm was not the one that was nearest to him. "We're making a pit stop."
Tadase tried once more to wake Amu up but still got no response. Rima stopped him before he could nudge Amu another time. Tadase tilted his head in confusion. Rima just shook her head, holding a finger up to her lips. After a second, she spoke in a hushed tone.
"Let her sleep, Tadase. You can go alone," she looked down at Amu, who was still sound asleep. "I don't mind if Amu sleeps on me...anymore. You should go get some snacks for her. I'm sure you know what to get her better than I would. Plus, I don't need anything."
Tadase smiled graciously. "Thanks, Rima-san. I owe you one."
Rima just nodded and let Tadase shut the door gently, making sure it didn't wake Amu up.
After hearing Amu's story and how she dealt with it, Rima now had a newfound respect for Amu that reminded her of the kidnapping incident with which she had been involved a year or so earlier. Rima handled her situation a lot worse than Amu did, however, which had changed her life. The reason Rima acted the way she did now was directly due to the incident; she stopped telling jokes and even stopped joking around with people because her parents think she should focus on more important matters. She had also stopped trusting people as easily. After hearing her reaction to Amu's own traumatic experience, Rima had gained a new perspective on Amu.
Tadase and Tsukasa returned several minutes later to find that Rima had also fallen asleep, her head resting against Amu's head. Tadase was surprised Amu was sleeping so calmly. Nevertheless, he chuckled as he returned to the passenger's side, keeping the snacks he had gotten for Amu in his lap. He'd give them to her whenever she woke up.
"Say, Tadase-kun." Tsukasa looked over at his son as he started to drive again. "Do you happen to know where Amu-chan's phone might be? I just want to double-check that my GPS is set to the right area."
Tadase hummed and shook his head. "No, I don't. It's probably in one of her pockets. I've got the number one for her friends, though, if you need me to message them."
"Perfect." Tsukasa smiled, his eyes focused on the road. "Tell them we'll be arriving in the area soon. Ask them if there's any specific place they want to meet up so I'm not just driving into the town blindly."
Tadase pulled out his phone and messaged Kairi, asking about a good place to meet. Kairi's response was quick and he was surprised to receive a message from Tadase so soon and even more surprised when he learned they were already coming into town. When Kairi suggested they just meet at Amu's old school, Tadase quickly directed his father in the right direction, helping him set up the GPS right.
They arrived not long after that, since they were not far from the town, to begin with. However, Amu and Rima did not appear to be waking up yet. The two were still sound asleep when the car approached the school, almost cuddling up to each other.
Tadase spotted Kairi waiting at the front gates of the school and told Tsukasa to drive up a bit. Tadase opened the window to let them talk. Tadase's father watched the two curiously. He didn't quite know how his son knew this person, who was supposedly only friends with Amu, but he didn't bother asking. They talked about why they decided to visit the city, and Kairi glanced at the back seat of the car and nodded in understanding when Tadase told her that Amu was sleeping and that they had brought another friend along.
"I will get into contact with Yaya-san and Nadeshiko-san," Kairi said. "Perhaps by the time they arrive, Amu-san and her friend will have woken up."
Tsukasa pulled into a nearby parking lot and they all waited a while. Tadase glanced back at the sleeping girls in the back seat, a small smile on his face. It was a shame they had to wake up. Kairi messaged Tadase saying that he told Amu's other friends to follow him at the playground for a "surprise." Kairi did not mention why they should meet, to go along with the surprise.
After a couple more minutes, Amu had started to stir, rubbing her eyes and looking around. She first noticed Rima sleeping next to her, but then, she noticed their surroundings and gasped. Amu gently pushed Rima's head off her shoulder so as not to wake her. Tadase, who had noticed Amu was awake, noticed Amu's elated expression and pointed across the road, where she could just barely recognize Kairi, still waiting by the front gates. Seeing him was enough to make Amu grin widely.
"Rima-san," Tadase said after another moment, reaching over the front seat to nudge Rima's shoulder. "Wake up."
Rima groaned softly, opening her eyes slowly, as she groggily mumbled, "I'm awake..."
Once Rima was fully awake and everyone had gotten out of the car, Amu made no hesitation to run across the street to meet up with Kairi. Tsukasa announced he'd find a way to entertain himself alone until the others were ready to go back home, though Tadase wondered why he couldn't have just gone home himself. It was only an hour and a half drive, after all, and Tadase had no idea how long they would be.
Tadase and Rima met up with Amu, who had already crossed the street and was already with Kairi. While walking along, Amu chatted with Kairi, while at the same time telling Tadase and Rima about the friendship that the friend group had shared and recalled other fond memories of their elementary and middle school days.
Rima kept looking as if she wanted to say something but kept quiet the entire walk. Amu noticed this but didn't want to press the issue. It was very hard for her to tell what Rima was thinking most of the time. Sometimes it was hard even to determine whether or not Rima liked her at all.
Amu suspected that Rima's decision to join them might have had something to do with Amu's best friend. Despite that suspicion though, Amu still couldn't get over Rima wanting to come along at all. Especially if it didn't have to do with that.
"You three can play on the playground or do whatever you wish," Kairi said once they had arrived at the back of the school and were met with the playground. "I'll wait for the others back up in the front and bring them back here."
Amu smiled and nodded, waving as Kairi walked back towards the front of the school. She ran directly to the swings, where Tadase followed her. Rima had begun climbing up the jungle gym and had reached a vantage point from which she could easily see Tadase and Amu converse and also see all the others return.
Amu and Tadase went swinging in comfortable silence for a while. At some point, their swinging synchronized in what Amu always called "double dating." Perhaps Tadase also knew this term, as he finally opened his mouth, ironically on the topic of dating.
"Do you plan on telling your friends that you and I are…." Tadase paused, still feeling a bit embarrassed talking about it. "You know...a thing."
Amu slowed her swinging slightly and shrugged. "I'm sure they'd end up figuring it out. Except maybe Yaya at first but she's keen to things like that. Though…they might be shocked that I've gotten a boyfriend so quickly..."
Tadase hummed, eyeing Amu in confusion. "How so? There's no way you weren't popular here." He finished his sentence by gesturing to the large buildings in front of them.
Amu laughed wryly and shook her head. "Me? Popular? If people liked me, they didn't show it. Most seemed intimidated by my appearance, much like at Koken. Iinchou was the first guy to approach me honestly. Which...might have been because I was in a rush and he was being bullied, and all of them got in my way." She looked away bashfully.
Tadase laughed. "That's so like you. Being a good person while still acting all cool and intimidating."
Amu rolled her eyes. "Oh, hush. But yeah. I don't think I've ever been confessed to until…you." her cheeks turned a soft pink as she stopped swinging entirely.
"By the way," Tadase said, stopping his movements as well. "I think you were more popular than you thought. And your appearance has nothing to do with anything. Whoever doesn't like the way you look can go…uh…" Tadase trailed off, unable to find an insult without seeming too mean or vulgar.
Amu laughed and shook her head, reaching over to pat Tadase's shoulder. "No worries. No one made fun of me. Like I said, I think they were too intimidated. If anything, people probably thought I was a bully."
"Looks like you were a strong girl even before coming to Koken." Tadase chucked softly.
Amu chuckled as well before looking over to where Rima was. She had climbed down from the jungle gym and was making her way over to Amu and Tadase at the swings. Tadase followed Amu's gaze and watched as Rima got closer. Even though she was soft-spoken and the distance between them was considerable, Rima was already talking.
"Amu. Your friends are coming." Somehow, Amu just barely managed to hear Rima. Maybe it was because Amu was astonished that Rima had said her name for the first time, at least to face.
Amu saw the familiar figures of all her friends as soon as Rima stated that. The excitement in her eyes was as if she hadn't already seen Yaya the day prior, and Kairi not more than five minutes ago. However, she was especially elated to see her best friend. As the three teenagers got closer, Amu jogged toward them. Rima and Tadase followed behind her slowly. When Amu approached, Yaya jumped on her immediately.
"Amu-chii!" she exclaimed joyfully after a slight hesitation. "I didn't expect to see you so soon!"
She had a look on her face as if she was about to say something else, but after receiving a look from Kairi, she changed her wording. They probably didn't want to worry Nadeshiko by telling her that Yaya and Kairi had travelled all the way to Amu's new city to undergo a blood transfusion for her. Additionally, Yaya was being careful with how tight she clung to Amu. Previously, Yaya would be squeezing the life out of Amu.
Nadeshiko delicately placed her hand on Yaya's shoulder, softly saying. "Yaya-chan, let go. Amu-chan is uncomfortable. It's been so long, she might not be used to that kind of stuff anymore."
Yaya laughed nervously and let Amu go, rubbing her arm. "Sorry, Amu-chi. I just…missed you so much!"
"We all missed you, Amu-chan!" Nadeshiko said happily, taking Amu's hands into hers. She looked at Tadase and Rima, who was standing behind Amu. "Are these your friends from your new school? Kairi-kun said you brought some with you."
Amu nodded and grinned as she stepped out of the way. Tadase bowed politely at the trio of friends, while Rima pushed forward and just stared at Nadeshiko with great interest.
Tadase waited for Amu to introduce the group to each other, but Rima's interest seemed to be in Nadeshiko. It was only natural that Tadase was interested in getting to know Nadeshiko, too. After all, Nadeshiko was Nagihiko's twin sister, as well as the only old friend of Amu who he hadn't met. Even so, he had to act as if he hadn't already met Yaya and Kairi the day prior.
"Oh, right." Amu seemed to suddenly realize what everyone was waiting for. "Guys, this is my…current…" she hesitated before continuing her sentence, "...best friend, Tadase-kun."
As she gestured to Tadase, she looked at him almost apologetically for only calling him a best friend. Tadase rolled with it and smiled, offering his hand out to whoever was willing to shake it. Nadeshiko stepped up and shook Tadase's hand with a gentle grasp.
"Nice to meet you all," Tadase said politely, smiling brightly. "I'm Hotori Tadase. I was Amu-chan's first friend at her new school. I'm head of the student council, as well as our classes' class president."
Satisfied with Tadase's introduction, Amu gestured to Rima. "And this is Rima. She's also on student council which, surprise surprise, I joined too."
Rima just nodded her head, still only interested in Nadeshiko, practically staring holes into her. "You really do look alike…" she mumbled.
Nadeshiko tilted her head. Amu panicked a bit and covered Rima's mouth. "S-she thinks you look like…a celebrity! Y-yeah!"
Amu wasn't sure whether Nadeshiko was open about Nagihiko, since she hadn't even learned of it until she saw him with her own eyes. Apparently, she didn't care, since she just giggled softly and said, "Is this about my brother?"
Amu wasn't expecting her to be so upfront with it. "Ah…yeah. I think that's why Rima came in the first place. She's friends with your twin and was curious about you."
Amu was sure that she heard Rima mumble something along the lines of "Not true," but Rima's voice was so quiet that she could have misheard. She cleared her throat and tugged Nadeshiko's hand, immediately forgetting what she possibly heard.
"We have a lot of stuff to catch up on!" Amu exclaimed excitedly. "Let's go somewhere and talk!"
"Where can we go? Do you remember any of the good places we used to go?" Nadeshiko asked, smiling at Amu. "We can always just stay here for a bit if you can't think of anything."
"I've only been gone for a short while! Surely not that much as changed." Amu laughed, hitting Nadeshiko on the arm lightly. "Let's not loiter here too long. Leave it to the kids, we were just here because it was convenient to wait."
"Yaya wants ice cream!" Yaya exclaimed abruptly, throwing her arms up in the air excitedly.
"I'll agree to that." Amu laughed, nodding in agreement. "That shop we used to go to is still here, right?" Amu's old friends nodded enthusiastically. Tadase and Rima nodded as well. "Well, it's settled. Let's go get ice cream!"
When the group began walking, Amu began to follow until Tadase stopped her from following, by gently grabbing her wrist. As Amu stared at Tadase in confusion, he encouraged Rima to go along without them. She raised her eyebrow as Tadase waited for Rima to be further ahead before speaking.
"I'm assuming for this trip I'm just a best friend?" Tadase questioned. He wasn't offended in any way, he just wanted to be sure he got his facts straight, so he didn't accidentally slip up. "I'm not mad, I just want to get our story straight."
Amu looked down in embarrassment. "Don't take it to heart…I just need to give them some time, you know. It's hard to just appear in your old town with your old friends and be like 'Hey, I have a boyfriend after only being at this school for barely 5 months'."
Tadase shook his head and squeezed Amu's hand gently. "Don't worry, I understand," he said, with a smirk on his face. "But...you know what…?" he asked, pausing dramatically.
Amu stared at Tadase expectantly, but he didn't do or say anything for several moments. He simply stared back at her with a mischievous smirk that vaguely resembled one Ikuto had previously given her. Something about his expression told Amu that she was about to be surprised by his next actions.
A/N: You know, I totally forgot I gave the school Amu goes to now with Tadase, Rima, Nagi etc a name until editing this and deciding to help differentiate Seiyo (her old school) from her new school. So this is probably only the 2nd time in this ENTIRE story (JealIn included) I've said the name of the school lmao.
I honestly...don't remember why I chose the word Koken as the name of the school since the definition I got when I looked it up just now is...probably not what I had in mind when I chose the name. The best thing I got was 'person's character' along with 'bill of sale'. Also got something about sage xD Let's just say it's 'Person's Character'.
I've been playing around more with WordTune and I'm still dying at some of the options I get sometimes. It's a little annoying that I have to bring my file into a google doc but i think it's worth it in the end to have more coherent, professional sounding sentences.
I hope you're enjoying! please do remember to review, favourite, or follow. They're all appreciated.